Tow vehicle for travel trailer - diesel or gas?

[cantdrv55]

I have never bought a big truck so I really need some advice.

The travel trailer I have my eye on has a GVWR of 7600 lb. I cannot decide what truck to buy as there are soooo many choices. Should I buy used or new? How many miles can diesel trucks go before needing major repairs? Should I stick with gas models because they are less complex but tend to be gas hogs? How big of a gas engine can pull an 8000 lb trailer? Also trailer manufacturer says tow vehicle must have brake control. What is that? What else should I consider?

Confused and on a budget. Please help. Thanks.

[mark waller]

It's not just the weight of the trailer, but you, your family and supplies. A lot of 1/2 tons can tow 10,000 pounds but I would feel much better in a 3/4 ton. Better pulling, better stopping and better control on the road. Diesel vs. gas? If you plan on a lot of miles I would go diesel. If its a weekend thing either way.

[porsche930dude]

Id say Diesel for sure. Used would of course save you a ton of money but probrobly hard to find a good one. Trailer brakes are a simple electronic unit most bigger trucks already have one installed. Its a plug and play under the dash thing not a problem

[ckelly78z]

I have a 99 superduty 3/4 ton, 4x4 , diesel truck that I pull my 30 ft Dutchmen TT with. It pulls it very well and hardly downshifts on long hills, stays cool, and gets 18-20 mpg unloaded, (about 13 with the trailer).

I believe any of the new larger V8 gas trucks will pull as well as my 15 year old diesel truck, but I have 230,000 miles on mine, and the new diesels have 150 more HP, and 300 more lb ft of torque than my tired old steed. The new diesels are absolute muscle trucks.

A 3/4 ton is far better for pulling because it has better axle ratios, stiffer springs, bigger brakes, stiffer tires, oil and transmission coolers. If you only pull something a few times a year, a 1/2 ton will make a better daily driver truck.

Diesel fuel is roughly .50 cents more than standard gasoline, and sometimes not so convenient to find while away on vacation (unlike gas). You will get better mileage with the diesel while pulling, and you generally have to pay more for the truck when buying it, but will recoop most of it when selling or trading.

[Dan J]

3/4 ton Duramax if you can afford otherwise 6.0 gas

[john70t]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

Also trailer manufacturer says tow vehicle must have brake control. What is that?

Independent electrical brakes for the trailer.
Activated by the tow vehicle.

I assume the heavy duty trailer brake load circuit wiring is separate from the control circuit hooked into the lightweight brake light wiring.
It is probably controlled by a relay.

There might even be redundancy.
Maybe parallel relays or a spare, just in case.
I had a Bosche fuel pump relay that got hot driving my 89 VWGolf. Then it randomly quit and wouldn't restart the car. Drove me nuts for a while.

Trailer braking ensures the thing doesn't break a flimsy little ball hitch under heavy breaking, then continue moving forward like a battering ram through the bed and into the driver's cab like a giant heavy pointy thing.
Which it is.

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

What else should I consider?

-Number of people and use vs. layout.
-Build quality.
-Electric capacity and weather.
-Gallon capacity of water for washing or flushing.
-Rout locations for resupply/dump/exchange.

[mark waller]

Don't forget a weight distribution hitch

[cstreit]

One vote for Diesel.

Why? Imagine trying to pull the long azz thing through most gas pumps at your service station. With diesel you get lots more space to fill up,at the truck pumps.

[cantdrv55]

is it true though that diesels cost more to maintain yet are only as reliable as gas engines?

[cantdrv55]

Originally Posted by john70t

-Number of people and use vs. layout.
-Build quality.
-Electric capacity and weather.
-Gallon capacity of water for washing or flushing.
-Rout locations for resupply/dump/exchange.

Thanks for the explanation of the brake control. I believe I've thought out the layout vs use. Airstream trailers seem to have a good reputation for build quality. Water capacity is on par with other manufacturers of 28' trailers. I haven't scoped out the RV dump sites near the storage yard yet. The yard doesn't have one.

[9dreizig]

Diesel hands down,,
a brake control will cost you $100-$150 and easy to install
RV dump sites are all over,, my local gas station has one as do most Camping Worlds,, all Pilot truck stops etc..

[red-beard]

Diesel

[look 171]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

is it true though that diesels cost more to maintain yet are only as reliable as gas engines?

Nothing to maintain really but all the filters. I just hit 120,000 in my Dodge Cummins 3/4 ton truck and discovered a small seepage on my injection pump, so off the mechanic it go and the bill for a rebuilt was 2600 bucks. When something goes, its usually more money then gas trucks. I don't think a newer gas truck is that far behind with repairs costs.

[look 171]

Oh, I don't do much towing but the times I did, it has no issues with going over hills but neither did my gas trucks. if I were to buy another truck, diesel would be my first choice, but will consider gas option.

[porsche4life]

Diesel. Hands down when pulling that much weight.

And yes to the brake control too, you will love it once you get used to it.

What are you looking to spend? I would actually advise buying used, and older is better! The newer trucks have more emissions crap and are vastly more expensive to maintain. The last truly good Cummins Diesel in the dodges was the 5.9 in 2006. Those were true 500k mile motors. The trucks around them weren't as nice as the new ones, but still much nicer than they used to be. We ran a 1999 dodge 5.9 cummins to well over 230k before we sold it our neighbor who still uses it as a farm rig with a bail bed. In the time we had it it got an injector pump around 150k, and a clutch around 180k. It did not have an easy life either. Several times we had it on the pavement, in 4low with all 4 spinning trying to pull the 30k GVW crane truck out of the ditch we stuck it in! We would pull trailers with 8-10klbs of beam on them at 80mph all day and that thing never skipped a beat, and ALWAYS made it home.

[fred cook]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

I have never bought a big truck so I really need some advice.

The travel trailer I have my eye on has a GVWR of 7600 lb. I cannot decide what truck to buy as there are soooo many choices. Should I buy used or new? How many miles can diesel trucks go before needing major repairs? Should I stick with gas models because they are less complex but tend to be gas hogs? How big of a gas engine can pull an 8000 lb trailer? Also trailer manufacturer says tow vehicle must have brake control. What is that? What else should I consider?

Confused and on a budget. Please help. Thanks.

I use a 2003 Ford Excursion w/6.0 Turbo Diesel to pull my camper. I makes enough torque to move easily on level ground or in the mountains. I also like the 44 gallon fuel tank that will allow for about 600+ miles when towing. That is usually enough to let you get to your next camping spot, unhitch and then go looking for fuel without the camper. Whatever you decide to get, heavy duty is your friend!

[kaisen]

You'll get lots of opinions, some based on OLD anecdotes

An 8,000 pound trailer is really quite light by today's measures

Any current half-ton gas pickup (Ford, GM, Ram, Toyota, etc) can tow 8,000 pounds without breaking a sweat. The brakes in a modern half ton are more 'powerful' than a 3/4 or 1 ton from a decade ago, but as others have pointed out, the trailer does a lot of the braking.

Will you be towing every single weekend? Long distances? Then by all means invest in a huge truck with an expensive diesel engine.

If you're like most people and you're honest about your use, you'll tow less than twenty times per year and only once long distance. The other 340 days per year the truck either sits unused, or you're driving it like a car.

A new diesel truck is $10K more than a gas half ton, cost MORE to drive, and makes overkill power for an 8,000 pound trailer. A 2015 GM Silverado/Sierra 1500 with a 6.2L gas makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft, gets 21 mpg on the freeway (empty, 340 days/year), has a 100K mile warranty, and an official SAE rated tow capacity of 12,000 pounds.

I own both gas and a diesel 3/4 tons

[speeder]

I'd buy a 2006-07 Chevy or GMC 2500 Duramax Allison w/ under 100k miles that has been maintained for around $25k and have an amazing truck that does not cost you $1k a month in depreciation.

But that's just me.

[kaisen]

Yep, depreciation is a big consideration. Especially if the truck will sit unused when not towing.

[LakeCleElum]

Money ahead with a nice German sports sedan and Best Western card.